


The Public Life of Alexandria Woods

by conehead



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, One Shot, famous lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-12 18:35:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10497084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conehead/pseuds/conehead
Summary: Anywhere she went she couldn’t escape “Alexandria Woods”Lexa is know as Alexandria Woods to the Public, her relationship status is the most questioned and speculated about thing in the media- yet, it remains unknown- what happens when the truth is revealed?one shot turned more





	1. Chapter 1

Anywhere she went she couldn’t escape “Alexandria Woods”

 

The woman was everywhere, but that’s what came with being a celebrity she supposed. She is never one to really read tabloids or magazine covers and if she does happen to glance at one she most certainly never believes what she sees. Just today alone she had come across the famous face at least ten times, whether it was on the side of a bus, a billboard, magazine racks, social media, the list is endless. It wasn’t so much the stories and the hype surrounding the woman that made her eyes roll, more so that people fed off of it. Living off of every single detail, real or not. It seems people believe whatever you put in front of their face and it’s just their nature to talk about it. It baffles her that people are paid to make up things about celebrities lives. Lately it seemed like the only person in the media loop was Alexandria Woods, well her love life to be more exact.

 

When she was in line at the grocery she picked up a fallen magazine that just so happened to have the actresses face on the cover. She would admit it was a striking photo but the accompanying headline “Alexandria Woods spotted getting close to co-star: insider says ‘I’ve never seen either of them happier’” made her scoff. There never is an ‘insider’, and if someone were to actually read the article it would be nothing but a fluff piece with no concrete evidence yet they charge a ridiculous amount for it.

 

Her second run in was when she walked into work to grab some paperwork. The overhead television in the reception had a talk show on and lo and behold none other than Alexandria Woods was being interviewed. For the most part the prompter stuck to her new movie coming out. That was until the red carpet event was mention, but Alexandria to her credit never broke her composure.

 

            _“Will you be bringing your girlfriend Anya Stone to the premier?”_

_“Anya will be accompanying me, however she is not my girlfriend-”_

             _"What about Ms. -"_

 

“That chick is scary no one would actually believe they were together, besides everyone knows she’s dating that soccer player, Holly something” The receptionist rattled off, although she doesn’t think it was actually meant to be heard by anyone so she gave a noncommittal hum and continued on her way to her office ignoring the rest of the inquiries to the actresses dating life.

 

The actress was mentioned again when she stopped at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. She was just leaving and overheard two girls debating over what movie to get from Red-box-

 

            “Alexandria plays a straight character in that though, that like kills all of my fantasies”

            “Yeah but there’s also a bunch of beach scenes so you can drool over her body and just pretend Lincoln Barrows is a woman during the steamy stuff.”

            “I’d rather pretend he’s me, god he’s so lucky”

            “You know who’s really lucky is Luna Mathers, god why can’t I be some fancy chef so Alexandria would come into my work and ask me out!”

 

She shook her head and got in her car to drive home, managing to only pass four inanimate objects with the celebrities face plastered on them. She walked through the door and was met with the savory aromas of her favorite meal cooking. Shucking off her coat she let the day roll off of her and made her way to the kitchen. Stealing a bite of the simmering sauce and humming in appreciation, she felt two arms wrap around her and a kiss being placed on her cheek.

 

“Hey babe how was your day?”

 

“Exhausting, I’m so glad it’s the weekend” she sighs out, relaxing into the body behind her.

 

“Mm me too” Another kiss to the top of her head.

 

“You don’t have to go anywhere do you?”

 

“Nope, I’m all yours.”

 

“Just how I like it, besides apparently I have a lot of competition. How do you manage all these women?” She teases and turns around to face the love of her life.

 

“My schedule is color coded and planned to the second, I’m pretty sure you’re blue, but you could be green. I’ll have to check with my assistant.”

 

“Hmm well, as long as they know who you’re coming home to I don’t care what color I am.” She looks into the eyes she fell for when they were younger and still sees the same amount of love and adoration.

 

“I’ll always come home to you” she receives a kiss on her lips “These last few months have been crazy with the promotional tour but I promise it will die down after next week once the movie’s released.”

 

“Yeah, until your next movie comes out.”

 

“I don’t think I’m going to take as many offers as I have been” She’s being guided to the sofa, where they sit and she curls up into her wife’s side.

 

“What why?”

 

“I want to be here with you, I don’t want to miss anything” A hand rubs over her barely showing bump.

 

“I’ll support whatever you decide, we’ve still got time to think about it.”

 

They sit there, letting the silence wash over them simply enjoying the others presence.

 

“Clarke?”

 

“Yeah Lex?”

 

“You make me so happy and I don’t think I could ever say it enough but I love you.”

 

“I love you too, so much.”

 

And that was her last encounter of the day with the enrapturing movie star, who to her was still just as much the lanky teenager she met and fell in love with in high school. No matter the struggles of keeping

their private life away from prying eyes, or going months without being able to touch one another and seeing all of the made up gossip, not a day goes by that they would think of doing it differently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick synopsis of how they met and came to be.  
> If people want, the third one shot possibility is of the premier and their life together

They met during freshman year of high school, technically they had been in school together since kindergarten but they had never spoken to one another. To her, Lexa always seemed quiet and aloof, which was a complete one eighty from her own personality. What surprised her most when she actually had the chance to interact with the other girl was how wrong she was.

 

Newly fourteen and starting high school, her mother insisted she join an extracurricular of some sort because she may be too young to work, but she's too old to just laze around the house. Being that she had no athletic bone in her body, that ruled out a lot of options. She was too hot headed for debate and really didn't want to do school outside of class so that ruled out quizbowl. Theatre club was probably her best option, she couldn't act or memorize lines, okay so she wasn't good at a lot of things, but she could paint so she could help with the sets. As long as no one handed her a powertool.

 

Thankfully they had a cheap budget so it was mostly cardboard. She still had to stand on a ladder to reach the top of it though, which on a good day her center of balance was a coin toss. On days where striking brunettes distract her, disaster was guaranteed.

 

Lexa was in the middle delivering a powerful monologue, the emotions of the scene so clearly pouring out of her. She couldn't tear her eyes away, she had never seen so much emotion from the girl and she was completely enraptured.  Lexa was so into it , pacing back and forth expressing so much hurt and when the girl moved to stage right her head followed. Unfortunately so did the rest of her body, feet slipping off the rung , hands flailing desperately trying to grab ahold of something only to clasp onto the paint tray, bringing that down with her.

 

She groaned out partially from pain, but mostly from embarrassment. She keeps a hand over her eyes because she knows that everybody is looking at her. She feels the paint start to soak into her pants before suddenly there’s a tentative but soothing hand on her back. She opens her eyes and is instantly captivated by the stunning green ones looking back at her. She’s still staring when she sees their expression change and she realizes she must have been asked a question.

 

“I’m sorry what?”

 

“I asked if you were alright, did you hit your head? You were kinda out of it.” Lexa asks with genuine concern, raking her eyes over her to look for injuries.

 

“Oh..I..no. Just my ass and my dignity.” she tries to joke it off and is proud of herself for making the girl laugh.

 

“Here let me help you up and we can go find some ice” Lexa grabs her elbow and starts to lift her up, but when she tries to put weight on her foot she winces and let’s out a hiss of pain.

 

“Okay and maybe my ankle.”

 

“Hop on.” Lexa instructs as she turns around offering her back.

 

“Are you serious? I'll get paint on you.” This is her first time talking to this girl, she’s already made a fool of herself from watching her and now she’s expected to get a piggy back ride from her?

 

“Yes, it's fine, hop on.” Lexa urges again.

 

And that is what started their friendship. They exchanged numbers and started texting each other nearly daily. They then started hanging out every once in awhile. Which then shifted to every Friday and most saturdays.

 

They remained strictly friends even if she maybe had a tiny bit of a crush on the brunette. She didn’t want a relationship at the time and wasn’t going to do anything anyway without knowing the other girls feelings. Nothing had really made that decision difficult until during the middle of sophomore year when Lexa was prepping her audition for the spring play and she didn’t think about what’s she’s saying.

 

‘I've never kissed anyone before what if I'm bad at it what if everyone can tell do you know that like every movie had s kiss scene how am I supposed to make it if I'm a horrible kissed?” Lexa was pacing in the empty auditorium. It was typical of the two of them to hang out there for an hour after school before going their separate ways. 

 

“You should practice.” She offers over her shoulder as she finishes a rough sketch of the set design. 

 

“And how do you suppose I do that? I don't think my bear or pillow is anywhere close to the real thing.”

 

“First off I still think it's adorable you still sleep with remmy second I meant with me” Wait, that’s what she meant in her head, but not to actually say it.

 

“Wha-with you?” Lexa practically sputters, god she finds her adorable. No turning back now.

 

“Yeah you're my best friend. And I know how much this means to you.”  No other ulterior motive is at play here.

 

“You've only kissed one person and you can barely consider those kisses”

 

“Hey! That’s one more person than you! And I still think I'd be able to tell if you were bad or not, but if you don’t want my help, fine.” 

 

“You'd really do that?” Lexa asks like she’s trying to trick her or something.

 

“I don't think it's a big deal, and I don't like seeing you freak out over this.” She shrugs, even though it’s a big deal, a really big deal.

 

So before Lexa can question her further she grabs her face and kisses her. It’s awkward at first. Lexa is too stunned to do anything and her mouth is still partially open, but she eventually moves her lips and kisses back. God, then it’s amazing. She keeps it PG for the most part, moving her lips against soft ones, changing the angle ever so slightly. It isn’t until she feels a tongue running against her lip that she realizes they’ve been kissing for far too long and this is supposed to be for practice and she reluctantly backs away.

 

“I think you’re good to go, I just remembered I have to drop my notes off at Ravens so I’m gonna head out now.” She rushes out and then leaves an awestruck looking Lexa behind.

 

Lexa gets the part and nails the kissing scenes and they don’t talk about it. They remain best friends but there’s a shift in their actions. They’re more open with their touches and most saturday hangouts turn into every saturday hangouts. They basically become a package deal when it comes to outings with their friends but no one says anything.

 

Junior year, they are the only two in their friend group that aren’t in a relationship, well according to them anyway. In order to enjoy their first prom, without having to invite someone new into the group they go as each other’s dates. It’s not weird, they went to homecoming together, and both winter dances, it’s just what they do.

 

She’s currently having a dance off with Lexa, each trying their best to out do the other with ridiculous dance moves and laughing at each attempt. The song then shifts to something slower, so she starts to move away. A hand wraps around her arm and she turns as Lexa draws her into her chest.

 

“Lex?”

 

“I want to dance still. Dance with me?”

 

She nods and places her head on Lexa’s chest. They sway back and forth, not really moving their feet. She listens to Lexa’s heartbeat, which is more rapid than usual from all the dancing, but then she hears it pick up a bit more and she picks her head up to look at her friend. Lexa has this look in her eyes that she’s never seen before. No, she has seen it, once, but that was over a year ago. She raises her eyebrow in a questioning manner and watches Lexa swallow. 

 

“I really want to kiss you right now” It’s confessed in a whisper, but it may have been the loudest thing in the room. It makes her heart hammer and she can only think of one thing to do. She doesn’t respond verbally, only angles her chin up and closes the little space between them. If she thought their last kiss was amazing, she doesn’t have a word to describe how incredible this one is. She feels it everywhere and doesn’t want it to stop. But Lexa pulls away after a few moments and looks at her.

 

“You’re not going to run away are you?” She flushes in embarrassment at being caught, but really she’s never been able to hide anything from Lexa.

 

“I’m not going anywhere.”

  
“Good.” And then Lexa closes the distance between them again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick little shot with some background and fluff before the largely requested reveal one-shot is posted (in the next two days :D )

Flashing lights, fancy dresses, question after question, more flashing lights; it was the same thing, event after event. If there was one thing she grew tired of, it was this. The scrutiny over every minute detail and action she made was magnified tenfold and it was exhausting trying to keep up with it all. If she didn't love her fans and what she does so much, she wouldn't hesitate to stay at home, out of this uncomfortable dress and in pajamas, curled up with her wife.

 

Letting out a well concealed sigh, Lexa musters up her best -fake- closed mouth smile and continues down the carpet. Only one more photo wall and interview left before she can seal herself away from the madness inside the dimly lit theatre.

 

The pictures are easy, if not blinding, all she has to do is have a quick appearance check and stand there for her allotted time period, looking  _ pretty _ \- shifting positions occasionally- and then she’s ushered away without any fuss.

 

Interviews are what she dreads. She wouldn’t mind them if they inquired about her role in the featured film, however, they rarely ever stayed on topic. Instead they bounced between fashion and romance. The former, no matter how unjust it is towards women in the industry, is much prefered than the latter. That was always the same thing, comments and questions on her love life that weren’t even original. You would think after getting nothing from her for the last ten years, they would give up, but they continue to relentlessly poke and prod.

 

She and Clarke had made the decision together when Lexa was just starting off. As much as Lexa wanted to show off her relationship with Clarke, she also wanted some sense of normalcy and a private life. Clarke readily agreed, wanting to be able to do her job without it being influenced by Lexa’s and didn't necessarily want to be in the spotlight, but would ultimately stand by what Lexa decided. Knowing what fame did to couples in Hollywood, not that she ever for a second thought it would ruin theirs, she thought it best to stay out of the limelight. 

 

There wasn't much in terms of social media when they were growing up and they moved away from their hometown for university, so people either forgot about them or assumed they broke up, like the majority of high school romances. They have a great group of friends that they know they can trust with anything and while it may be hard, if not impossible, for them to go out as a group, they still get together often. Their neighbors are a mix of other celebrities, people who hate gossip tabloids or people who simply don't care and the gated community doesn’t let anyone without a pass in and has front of the line security, which they’ve never had issues with. So, all in all, everything so far has worked to their favor. 

 

Still, she can’t escape the prying eyes and blunt questioning. Lexa guesses she’d much rather answer than have them speculate and spin stories, but really she’d rather it not be, well, a  _ thing _ . So far though, her current interview seems to be exceeding all expectations. She’s answered four in-depth questions about undertaking a character that seemed out of her repertoire and how she separates herself from it. Lexa feels like she’s finally being recognised for the first time that night, considered more than the next big tabloid story, and maybe she’ll actually-

 

“Okay, now I have to ask, who's your date?” She mentally sighs at being cut off, but they’re almost out of time, really it’s to be expected.

 

“I came with my incredible stylist and  _ friend _ Becca Robinson.” Lexa emphasizes the word friend but already knows it’s in vain.

 

“Is she your girlfriend now? Why didn't Luna, come with you? Did you two break up?” The reporter barrages, trying to get a story out of the last thirty seconds.

 

“No, and you can not break up with someone you were never with. For the record, I am not dating nor am I looking to date, anyone. Thank you.” And with that and a quick wave, she makes her way to the theatres entrance, stopping only to sign a few outstretched limbs and papers.

 

\--------

 

From LA, the cast was then flown to Madrid. 

 

The same charade took place the following day, only this time with Lexa butchering any and all attempts at speaking spanish, but it’s the thought that counts right?

 

Retiring back to her far too extravagant hotel suite, seriously the overkill was insane seeing as it was just her yet it could sleep six, Lexa was tired and homesick.

 

Stripping out of her designer dress, not caring about leaving it in a crumpled heap on the floor, she throws on a T-shirt and crawls into bed with her phone. Situating herself on her side, she pulls up face time and it isn’t long before a soft smile graces the screen in front of her and Lexa let’s all the pent up tension leave her body.

 

“Hey babe,” Clarke sighs out happily. “How was your day? Meet any hot spanish models?” She asks, causing Lexa to roll her eyes. 

 

“I’m not even going to waste my time with a response, especially when I have the world’s most beautiful woman waiting for me at home.”

 

“Sap, wait till you see how much I’ve grown, then you’ll be running back to Spain.”

 

“I can’t wait.” Lexa answers honestly. “And I’ll only come back, if you come with me.”

 

“Alright, Lex” Clarke says shaking her head, but she bites her lip, telling Lexa she managed to fluster her. “Anyways...the premier? How was it?”

 

“Mm crazy, I think my mouth is permanently stuck like this from having to smile so much” she says while holding her mouth in an exaggerated smile making her wife laugh. 

 

“I think you should stick with that look, it would go great on the next magazine cover” Clarke teases, to which Lexa responds by sticking out her tongue. 

 

They spend the next few minutes simply taking each other in before Lexa breaks the silence. “So. How did you sleep? Did our little warrior keep you up all night again?”

 

“No, he was calm for once and let me get a few uninterrupted hours. I think I finally figured out a way that settles us both.”

 

“Oh yeah?” She says trying to contain a yawn. “And what was that?”

 

“Falling asleep to one of your movies” Clarke grins “your voice is very soothing, it made it seem like you were here. We both sleep better when you are.”

 

“Me too.” And this time she can't hold of the yawn. “I miss you.”

 

“I miss you too. Now get some sleep my love”

 

“No” She whines. 

 

“We’ll talk tonight..er.. Tomorrow, alright?”

 

“mm okay. Good morning Clarke.”

 

“Goodnight Lex, sleep well. Love you.”

 

“Love you too.”


	4. The reveal part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited and requested reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split this up into multiple parts so it flowed better.   
> This is only the beginning and the repercussions and public explanations will be in the future.  
> With out further ado, here is part one (out of Im not sure yet) of the reveal! As always, thank you for reading and I'd love to know what you think! Xx

It was a fluke, a random outing that was never supposed to happen.

 

Lexa was tired.  _ So _ tired. Which, given that they had a newborn baby, not to mention a colicky one, it was to be expected. That doesn't make it any easier or any less exhausting.

 

In her current state of fatigue, she forgot to order the  _ special _ bottles and the  _ special  _ formula that were supposedly the  _ cure _ for colic. Her eyes rolled at the thought, it was all a scam to her, but her wife was adamant about relieving their baby's distress as soon as possible, and Lexa knew better than to argue with her. It’s not like it didn’t destroy Lexa as well, watching their son cry his head off, all of their soothing techniques being done in vain, but she didn't believe in the shiny advertisements. 

 

Maybe that's why she forgot.

 

All she had to do was call Gustus. Call him and have him pick them up. It seems simple enough, but, it was late and Lexa really didn't want to trouble him for something so ridiculous, especially when it was her fault they didn't have them, not to mention he had already done a three in the morning diaper run the night before.

 

Really the ridiculous thing was that they couldn't do their shopping like normal people, they had to order it online and have it delivered or have Gustus go for them. It annoyed Lexa that something so basic had to be taken away from them. Sure she could still shop and occasionally still did when the needed items didn't give anything about her life away or if it was in the middle of the night- like it was then- but they couldn't go together. They couldn't hold hands while pushing the cart or fight over what junk food they were getting or shove free samples in each others faces. Who knew she would ache to be able to do something so mundane as grocery shopping.

 

There have been many moments in her life of fame, more so now as a new mother, that Lexa wished she wasn't famous or she could pause that part of her life or at the very least that she could leave work without it following her home- literally, the amount of people who try to follow her was borderline mental- she lost count of how many fans Gustus has removed from her trunk or the number of alternative routes she's taken to avoid a paparazzi tail.

 

She knows what she signed up for though, and is extremely grateful for the chances she's been given and all of the opportunities she’s had. But sometimes she just wants to do normal things, like shopping, without having to act a certain way in fear of it being documented. So, Lexa being her stubborn self, decided to go off on her own. She's a mother, she should be able to provide for her child- plus her wife is kind of, maybe, a bit scary when she's distressed and a tad mad at her for forgetting something  _ so _ important...again. 

 

What's the worst that could happen at ten past one in the morning on a Tuesday? There wasn't a reason for paparazzi to be out and the people who wander around at that hour aren't typically that observant.

 

Well, famous last words right?

 

She honestly thought no one spared her a second glance, let alone recognized her. She had been so careful. Her hair had been tucked away in her beany and a loose sweatshirt hid her frame and signature tattoos. It had to be the sunglasses, who wears sunglasses at one in the morning in a store unless you're intoxicated or a celebrity. It was a rookie move, but she was too tired to process her fashion disguise choices. 

 

Now that she thinks about it, she paid with a card instead of cash, therefore broadcasting her name to the cashier. That  _ may  _ have been the ultimate tell. 

 

Either way, she hadn’t expected to be woken up by a buzzing phone less than four hours later.

 

Lexa quietly grabs it, knowing it must be important to disturb her at this ungodly hour, and shuffles out of the bedroom, careful not to wake her wife or  _ finally _ sleeping son.

 

She looks at the blinding screen with squinted eyes, taking in the torrent of new messages appearing on her phone. They all vary in thought, but center around one thing - her being spotted purchasing baby items, the concurring photos, and a resulting Celeb!Talk. 

 

Barely taking into account her rapidly beating heart, Lexa clicks one of the first links she finds.

 

It intros with a clear photo of what people could only guess was her based on the story, but wouldn't have been able to otherwise. 

 

_ Now although it's hard to believe, our eyewitness just so happens to be the cashier that attended none other than Alexandria Woods late last night. Now, you may ask, why is this news Steve? Celebrities go shopping. My answer, dear viewers is that, while you're correct in those regards, it is not precedent that a well known celebrity who shuts down all speculations of a dating life, be seen buying items for a baby in the middle of the night. _

 

_ Maybe it's for a friend. _

 

_ Now, I don't know about you Mark, but I wouldn't go shopping in the middle of the night for just any old friend. _

 

_ Are you suggesting Alexandria, had a baby? _

 

_ I don't recall those tight dresses she wears getting any looser, and she stayed on radar this past year so you would think someone would have noticed if she were pregnant. _

 

_ Are you saying she's been seeing someone the whole time? _

 

_ Now, I don't know about the length of the relationship, but I can say with certainty that- _

 

Lexa turns the feed off, not wanting to hear anything else ‘Steve Hollywood’ has to say. 

 

Pacing back and forth, Lexa tried to come up with a solution. She could make something up, say it wasn't her and her card was stolen or maybe that it was for a close friend or relative. But none of those seemed plausible. The only other thing to do was tell the truth, but even then how far does she have to go? Does she tell them everything or does she give them the pertinent details that would back the forthcoming story?

 

Well, she couldn't do anything without talking to Clarke first. Oh god, how long could she put that off. No, the sooner the better. And by sooner, she means taking care of the baby long enough that Clarke sleeps in- hopefully for hours so Lexa can formulate a way to break the news gently.

 

Making her way back into the bedroom, Lexa hovers over the small bassinet. Staring down at her sleeping son, she can almost forget the mental turmoil she's in. 

 

When he begins to stir, most likely woken by hunger, Lexa quickly, but gently, scoops him into her arms, and walks back out of the room. 

 

She rocks him softly as she prepares the bottle of formula which, much to her chagrin, seems to be working.

 

“What do you think, hmm? Are you going to protect me from mama?” She asks him, while stroking his cheek. His blue eyes stare unfocused back at her. “No? Good to know whose side you're on.” Lexa takes the bottle out of the warmer, checking the temperature before giving it to her son. “I don't think I'll need it though, your mama will understand...I hope. Just in case, I'll make sure you're in my will.” She smiles as she watches his eyes begin to droop. “you love me right? Because I didn't think it was possible to love someone more than I already did, but you proved me wrong. It would kind of suck if you didn't feel the same way.” 

 

“I think he does.” Clarke's voice startles her from her monologue, but luckily Clarke was the clumsy one and Lexa didn't drop or disrupt their son who was drifting back to sleep. “He only settle so quickly for you. I swear he only likes me because I produce his food, but even that's been taken away from me now.” Clarke says and gestures to the now empty bottle. Lexa is momentarily frozen, having thought she'd have more time before having to face her wife. But quickly adapts and gives a little laugh.

 

“you know for a fact that's not true, he adores you, as much as a four week old can.” She chuckles. “Although I'm pretty sure he's already got your sense of humor I-”

 

“if you bring up him giving you the middle finger while breastfeeding one more time-”

 

“it's true! And I know it was on purpose, he knows that he took them away from me and is rubbing it in my face.” Clarke just rolls her eyes at Lexa’s antics. Silence washes over them and Lexa starts to shuffle nervously, remembering the momentarily forgotten issue. “so what are you doing up? I thought I'd take him for a bit so you could sleep.”

 

“You know I have a hard time sleeping without you” Clarke says eyeing her while taking a step closer. Lexa swallows at the proximity, glad he son can act as a buffer when she sees her wife's eyebrow raise. “that and my phone wouldn't stop going off so I thought I'd see what the emergency was…” Clarke tapers off and Lexa gulps, how could she have forgotten about Clarke's phone? 

  
She was  _ so tired... _ and now most likely about to get an ear full. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heey...remember me?  
> sorry this took so long, but well, life's rough. I got my wisdom teeth out, so I had some down time to finish this up though! (Sorry if it's shit, my painkillers say otherwise :D )  
> I cut Lexa's spiel at the end in half because I thought it was a little much, but hopefully it still works for those still reading!

Clarke considered herself to be a pretty understanding person, especially when it comes to all things surrounding Lexa’s life... or lives. She knew what she signed up for or whatever the saying is but that doesn't mean it doesn't get hard. That it  _ hasn’t  _ been hard.

 

She never outright wishes she had never met Lexa, or dated her, or even married her, never, but sometimes she wished Lexa was not who she was. And as unfair to her wife as that is, it’s not like she’d ever voice those thoughts, let alone do anything about it. 

 

It’s simply that, the life of fame has caused a fair few rifts in their relationship. Though, somehow they always managed to work through it. Still, what she wouldn’t give for a little normalcy.

 

Everything they did had to be planned out painstakingly in advance. Finegalling details to make sure it was even possible for them to be in the same place, at the same time, without anyone finding out. 

 

For instance, when Clarke graduated from university, Lexa couldn't outright attend, it was after her first large role and she was beginning to be recognised when she went out. It put a damper on what was supposed to be one of the best days of Clarke’s life, not being able to look out in the crowd and seeing her love supporting her, but it was for the best. They Skyped before hand and after the ceremony was over, Lexa pulled her into a dark hallway to congratulate her, starting their celebrations early. 

 

It was easy to forget the struggle and be supportive of Lexa, seeing her become consumed by each role taken over, and the excitement she still exudes when a new script came in the mail. This was Lexa’s dream, now a reality and Clarke would always be grateful for being a part of it. Even though she was mildly upset she couldn’t go to any of her wife’s events and show her support world wide- well she  _ could _ , but that wasn’t what they had decided together, so she doesn’t.

 

So really, it was only the large events in their lives that got rearranged, that they had to settle for a sideline view instead of front row cheering. Easy. For the most part.

Really she didn't know that many people who would have been able the pull of their relationship. Sure in a way it could have been slightly easier if they were out to the public but that also would have added a lot more drama and unwarranted opinions. She knew they wouldn't be able to go on forever like this, but she thought when the time came, it would be on their own terms, when she had time to prepare and process. Not because her wife was careless with a credit card.

 

Deep down she knows she's not mad at Lexa. But she's hormonal and upset at being rudely awaken from her already limited hours of precious sleep form an incessant phone and needs to blame someone and the cameraman and press are not in her near vicinity so that fate falls on her wife.

 

Only when she walks, well silently storms, out of their room to find her wife, her poor maternal heart swells at the sight she's welcomed to.

 

How is she supposed to stay mad at her sweet sweet Lexa, when she’s doting on their son like she is. When she’s confessing her worries to unregistering little ears. Clarke leans against the doorway, waiting for an appropriate time to announce her presence.

 

Awkward joking aside, Clarke waits patiently as Lexa continues to rock on her feet, only making the briefest eye contact possible. 

 

She keeps waiting, but when it appears as though Lexa is at a loss of what to say, Clarke takes pity on her, somewhat.

 

“Care to share your thoughts on the matter? Or what you were thinking in the first place?” Clarke asks with more curiosity than malice. Watching Lexa’s throat bob again, would almost seem comical, she hasn’t seen her so nervous since she proposed, but this isn’t the time for that. Clarke moves to take their son out of Lexa’s hold, to return the now sleeping infant to his bassinet, but Lexa turns away slightly.

“I uh, I think I’d prefer if he stayed here. With me. Less chance of me being yelled at holding a sleeping baby.” Lexa says nervously and Clarke knows if her hands weren’t currently occupied, Lexa would be rubbing them up and down her arms like she does anytime she’s unsure of something.

 

“I’m not going to yell at you.” She says matter of factly and Lexa furrows her brow in disbelief.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. So why don’t you go put him down and come back out here to talk this out on the couch?” Lexa still seems hesitant at the suggestion of ridding herself of any protection, but seems to realise it’s better to do as asked, than add anything else to her list. Clarke watches her walk slowly back to their bedroom, before collapsing on the couch with a tired sigh. Rubbing her face to walk herself up a bit more, she waits for her wifes return.

 

Lexa shuffles back into the room ten minutes later and pauses for a moment before sitting at the end opposite Clarke. Again it appears as though Lexa won’t be the one initiating the conversation without any prompting, so Clarke opens the topic back up.

 

“So?”

 

“I was so careful! Or at least I thought I was?” Lexa rushes out, looking down at her hands that open and close as a nervous tick.

 

Sighing again, Clarke slides over and places one of her hands on top of Lexa’s. “Why did you go out in the first place?”

 

“I forgot to put the formula on the list and it was late and you said we needed it and I didn’t think anyone would recognise me.”

 

“You used your credit card.” Clarke points out and Lexa slumps further into the couch. “Why didn’t you have Gustus go out?”

 

“It was late. I didn’t want to bother him”

 

“It’s his job, he gets paid to do it. Twenty-four seven, it’s in his contract, he signed up for it, that’s why we hired him.” Clarke says slightly exasperated at Lexa’s reasoning.

 

“I should be able to do it though!” Lexa exclaims with more emotion than Clarke was expecting. “I should be able to go out and buy my son formula that’s going to make him better. I should be able to walk him around the neighborhood with you without having to worry about being watched. I should be able to go to the store and buy whatever I want without it ending up on the damn TV.”

 

Clarkes eyes widen at the sudden outburst, but seems to narrow down the root of Lexa’s distress and she starts rubbing her wife’s back to prevent hyperventilation. “Hey, hey, deep breathes okay? I know this is hard. It’s not the most ideal situation, but we make it work. We’ll make it work. Just because you have to delegate some menial shopping and can’t push a stroller around doesn’t make you any less of a good mom.”

 

“I can’t do anything though! I can’t take him to the park or to get ice-cream or the zoo or drop him off at school or-”

 

“Lexa, baby, he’s four weeks old. He won’t be doing any of that for a while and when the time comes for it, we’ll figure it out and make sure you’re there for it.” Clarke reassures, gently cupping Lexa’s face. “In the meantime though, you’re doing the best you can. You’re a great mom, you do  _ so  _ much for us, Grayson and I are lucky to have you. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you and seeing you with him is one of the best things in the world. He won’t ever have to wonder about your love for him, no matter how many small things you might not be able to do, you make it up in countless other ways. And sometimes you have to let other people help you.” 

 

Earning a small nod and sniffle, Clarke pulls her into a tight embrace. “I just, I didn’t realise how hard this was going to be. I mean, obviously I knew having a baby was going to be a lot of work, but I didn’t figure in having to pretend I didn’t have one or not being able to do everything for him. I feel like I’m not being everything that he deserves or that eventually he’ll think I was ashamed of him.”

 

“That’s nonsense and you know it.” Clarke quickly cuts of that line of thinking. “Trying to keep him out of the spotlight, was a decision we made together, believing that it was the best call. That doesn’t mean we love him any less or are ashamed of him. We wanted to try to give him a normal upbringing without having his picture plastered in every tabloid without him having a say. We did this  _ because _ we love him. You are not your mom, okay? Having doubts comes with being a new parent, but you can’t just bottle it up or it’ll end up like that one time in college.”

 

Lexa lets out a watery laugh, wiping off her eyes before sitting back up. “You’re right. I was projecting my own feelings on him, which only backfired, but I was worried and I always do things without thinking when I’m tired.”

 

“That is how we ended up with a bearded dragon for a week and somehow agreed to clean out your uncle’s attic on our anniversary. Not to mention how you broke your arm trying to-”

 

“I get it, I was there too, no need to keep reliving all of my lapse in judgement calls  _ every time  _ I make another one.” Lexa huffs out, before pouting. “We should have kept the dragon though”    

 

“Speaking of not letting something go. You were always away and I don’t do things with scales.”

 

Lexa sighs, knowing there was no point in rehashing old news. They sit there in silence for a while, both accepting the fact that they wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep that night.

 

“What are you going to say in your statement?” Clarke asks, breaking the small moment of peace that was surrounding them, but she needs to know. Needs to prepare.

 

“I don’t know. I can just say it was for a friend, but that doesn’t seem very believable at this point.” Lexa shrugs. “I’ll talk to PR tomorrow or I guess later today about it.”

 

“I think we should talk about how we want to move forward with this first, before you bring anyone else into the equation.” Clarke tries to reason, wanting to figure this out together before handing over their lives to someone else.

 

“They know how to handle situations like this though, it’s what they do. They can make something up and it’ll all blow over before you know it.”

 

Some of her earlier repressed anger is starting to boil back up at Lexa’s nonchalant approach, so Clarke takes a few calming breathes, organising her thoughts before speaking again. Not wanting to fight, but needing the situation to be handled properly. “You honestly believe this is just going to go away without issue? That you aren’t going to be bombarded by reporters and photographers?”

 

“It’s nothing new, once they figure out they don’t have anything, they’ll move on to the next hot topic. I can handle a few nosey people in the meantime, I’ve been doing it for years.”

 

“They already have what they need! It may not be new for you, but what if they follow you again? What if they get more pictures? What if they, what if they-”

 

“Woah, hold on” Lexa interrupts, face morphed into an expression of confusion and concern. “What are you talking about? They can’t prove anything from the picture they have of me, only that I was out.”

 

Clarke gives an exasperated sigh, of course Lexa did look at everything, never one to pay attention to details- even when it matters apparently. “Lexa, they have a picture of us! All of us, in our house! That’s pretty damning evidence if you ask me.” Clarke exclaims, jumping up from the couch, leaving a stunned wife in the process as she begins to pace.

 

“They- what?”

 

Clarke turns, seeing the genuine shock on Lexa’s face and scrolls through her phone before tossing it over.

 

\-----

 

There are so many emotions swirling through Lexa right now, she’s having a hard time pinpointing the strongest. Looking down at Clarke’s phone, the rubber band around her lungs has tightened and the fire in her eyes has only grown.

She had been followed.

 

Staring back at her, was a photo of them standing in their living room. The picture was grainy, but her outfit from previous photos at the store identified her. Thankfully Clarke was turned away from the window so only the back of her head was visible. But her son was front and center. Rage boiled in her stomach. Coming after her was one thing, she consented, for the most part, to pictures of herself being released. Clarke, on the other hand, had not, which was a large factor in why they weren't public. However, that wasn't what angered her the most. No, it was the fact that her son, who has no say in the matter was broadcasted without consent in the privacy of their own home.

 

Lexa doesn’t remember seeing anyone on her drive home, but with all the new telephoto lenses they have out there it doesn’t come as a surprise that this was possible. Still, that fact does nothing to diminish the fury that has taken over her body.

 

Her body goes into auto pilot, swinging her legs off the couch, she rushes towards the kitchen and grabs her phone. Ignoring the onslaught of questions that fall from her wife’s mouth, Lexa calls her representative and schedules the soonest interview she can. 

 

\------

 

With a face of calm stoicism, Lexa sits rigidly in the bright faux leather armchair, waiting. Waiting for the most nerve wracking interview of her life. She’s not nervous about revealing her relationship, cat’s out of the bag on that one, she’s spent the better part of the day discussing it with Clarke. No, she’s nervous about controlling herself, and not lashing out at the questions she knows she’s going to get.

 

“ _ And _ we’re back with none other than Alexandria Woods, who has caused quite the celebrity turmoil in the last twenty-four hours if twitter is anything to go by. Thank you for joining me today.”

 

“Thank you for having me on so last minute Steve.” Lexa tries to say as politely as possible, putting up her best work face.

 

“Do you have any comments on the images of you that surfaced this morning?”

 

“Straight to the point, alright. I have to say, I’m impressed by how advanced the photography field is.” Or maybe she still needs to work on her control a little better if it’s only the first question and her response is one full of sarcasm.

 

“So you don’t deny that it’s you?”

 

“I don’t see what good that will do, my face is pretty clear in the photo and they have my credit card information from the store. It would seem unwise to try and deny that.” Lexa states, more agitated than she thought she was.

 

“Is the child in the photo yours?” Steve asks, leaning forward, a predator waiting for his juicy gossip. 

 

The moment of truth, does she go all out or try to reign everything under the radar. A potentially career altering decision, from one tired slip up, all comes down to what she says next.

 

“Yes.” Plain and simple, short and sweet, that’s all she needs right?

 

“Can you elaborate? You have been spotted filming over the past year and your figure hasn’t changed. Did you adopt? Surrogacy?” Steve inquires like a dog within reach of a bone.

 

“My wife had him naturally.”

 

“Wife?! How long have you been married?”

 

“Five years.”

 

“In all of your interviews you never mention a wife, let alone a relationship. In fact, every time it is brought up you deny being in one. Five years is a long time to cover up a marriage, never mind how long you were together before that.”

 

“I have only ever denied being in a relationship with whoever I was reportedly seen with that month, I-”

 

“When asked if you were seeing someone, you rejected the thought. When asked if you had a girlfriend you said-”

 

“I said no. True. I have a wife.”

 

“You’re going to blame poor wording for you hiding your relationship?”

 

“I’m not blaming anything, I was only asked about dating, therefore I only answered about dating.”

 

“A half truth is a whole lie in this world. But why hide it though? Your fans are not likely to take this deception well, did you ever think of what a revelation like this would do?”

 

“ I give my all to every project I am a part of, to every fan I come across, I-”

 

“How is it giving it your all when you hid such a large portion of your life?”

 

“With all do respect, that wasn’t my concern. I am a person, first and foremost. A human being. While my career is being an actor, that is not my life. Nowhere in any contract I have signed does it state that I owe my entire life to the entertainment business. I don’t know where that stipulation appeared, but through my almost ten years in this business I have only seen it cause more harm than good. I do not want to sound ungrateful or unappreciative, because I am far from it. I have always wanted to become an actor and somehow that dream came true for me. I love what I do and the fact that I have impacted people’s lives. I am also aware it is not your average nine to five job, but I still don’t see how what I do gives people the assumption that they deserve to know everything about me. That they are allowed to follow me home. That they are allowed to use high end technology to invade my home. That they can post pictures of an innocent baby without permission, without reprimand. Yes, I wasn’t forthcoming about my relationship status, not everyone wants to be in the spotlight and maybe I was selfish for not wanting to be in it twenty four seven either, but this is not something I am going to apologise for. I love what I do, but if this is going to cause some sort of uproar, I will gladly step back. To me, there are far greater concerns out there than my relationship status, privacy laws being one of them, and I will not drag my family into this mess. Thank you for having me Steve, but that is all I have to say on the matter.”

 

And with that, Lexa quickly removes her mic, before making a hasty exit towards her car. The only place she wants to be right now is with her wife and son, and no one is going to stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!(?) So far that's all I have for this, but if there is something you want to see (or you already asked and I forgot) Let me know and I'll write it!
> 
> thank you for reading xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't actually complete, but it's been awhile so I thought I'd give you a bit!
> 
> the style of this is a little different, hope that's okay! Let me know what you thought! Sorry for any mistakes xx

Anywhere she went she couldn’t escape “Alexandria Woods”

 

The woman was everywhere, that part hadn’t changed. No matter where she went, she saw her and just like before, all of the media was focused on her love life. Only this time everything was different. There wasn’t speculation and tabloids on who the actress was dating or supposedly dumping. There was still speculation, but it was all over one thing- or well, one person. Who was the mysterious wife of Alexandria? 

 

The news had taken the photo of them and run with it and after Lexa’s agitated interview where she had announced her relationship status, it skyrocketed. The portrayals and reception of the news weren’t overwhelmingly positive however. Clarke has had to stow Lexa’s phone away, to keep her from wallowing in the endless stream of negative tweets and articles.

 

In fact, she had taken the phone and both of their laptops with her, in order to give Lexa some breathing room and time with their son- they were still old fashioned and had a land line just in case she needed to get a hold of her.

 

It was the first time she was out by herself after the apparent ‘big reveal’, having taken some time off to process, and walking around the store, she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder every now and then. Which in retrospect was more suspicious than anything and completely unnecessary since nothing about her had been revealed other than her blonde hair- so really Lexa could be married to over half of the female population in their city- she honestly had nothing to worry about, that didn’t stop her from doing just that though.

 

Standing fourth in line at the checkout she let her gaze wander to the magazine display. Sure enough the majority of them were about her wife.

 

_ Alexandria throws fit on talk show with Steve Hollywood _

_ Evasive Celebrity’s Love Life Out in the Open _

_ Insider tells all: the wife of Alexandria! _

_ Years of deception. What other lies is she telling?  _

_ Rumored divorce for America’s favorite after backlash of relationship reveal. _

 

She turns away after the last one, a sinking pit in her stomach. She knows no matter how much Lexa plays the part of being fine and unaffected by all of this, the reality is far from it. For her wife, the hardest part of her job is the talk, you need to have thick skin to be in the entertainment industry, but even that only goes so far. 

 

The people behind her draw her from her thoughts with their conversation.

 

_ “I used to have so much respect for her. I wouldn’t want to be her wife if I had to be hidden away the whole time like she’s ashamed of me.”  _ A girl with blonde hair shakes her head as she looks at the magazines with her friends. 

 

“ _ Yeah, there goes all of my chances of being with her.”  _ Another one sighs.

 

 _“You’d still go out with her after that?”_ The redhead asks in disbelief.

 

“ _ Uh, yeah, she’s hot and probably super rich.” _

 

_ “Whatever, I’ll never see her the same. I already unfollowed all of her socials seeing as they’re probably lies too. That’s probably not even her name.” _

 

_ “Wikipedia says it is and so does IMDB and Celebrity Source. Actually all sources say it is. But yeah she’s already lost like a good portion of followers.” _

 

Clarke stops listening after that. She doesn’t understand the huge turn of fans. Okay, maybe she understands it a little, but the extent that everyone is perceiving this so called ‘betrayal’ is a little much in her opinion.

 

She grabs one of the magazines she didn’t see before and adds it to her cart before checking out.

 

The cab ride to meet Gustus is another barrage of Lexa, well Alexandria. The radio is playing a response interview of Steve Hollywood and let’s just say he is not being the most sympathetic when it comes to Lexa. The cab driver tries to pull her into conversation about it, bond over celebrity gossip and choosing sides and what not, but gives up after his third attempt is dismissed.

 

Opening up the periodical, she turns to the page number that was broadcasted on the front-  _ An Open Interview With Alexandria-  _ and begins to read.   

 

**_You have mentioned before how important fan interaction is to you and how you value their opinions- does that ever become too much?_ **

_ I do adore my fans and their stories and the times I can be with them. Hearing I’ve helped someone or that a role I played had such a positive impact is the most incredible feeling. I won’t lie, it is a lot sometimes, especially in today’s world that is so heavily social media enraptured. As much as you try to ignore certain things, sometimes you can’t help yourself. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of you. I get a new role that I’m excited about and then see comments about my weight or someone else could do it better and how I took that from them. I walk down the street and people analyse my clothes, my make up, food choice if there was one. I play a character that kills someone or kisses someone and then I’m getting death threats. Actually I get those without doing anything. People are mean when they can hide behind a screen, that’s what led to me starting the greyface campaign to bring more awareness to cyber bullying. I am fortunate enough to have a good support system and mentality. Not everyone else is and I want to protect people from being subjected to that. I wanted to protect my family from that.  _

 

**_Since you brought up your family, I wanted to ask you why you made the decision to keep your relationship private in the first place and why you never came out in the open about it._ **

_ We were very young when we made the decision. We got together in high school and part of me was the selfish eighteen year old that wanted the so called best of both worlds, but the other part of me didn’t know any better. I realize I could have said something sooner, I could have said I was in a relationship or that I was married and left it at that. But there were reasons that kept me from doing just that. I don’t want to put blame on the media, it’s just that it’s everywhere.  _

 

_ My shadow is never my own. I am always followed, I have extra security to make sure people can’t break into a hotel room I’m staying in. A year ago someone hid in the trunk of a car I was in to get past checkpoint. A month ago a couple of photographers hiked ten miles to sneak on a closed film site, while another simply sent a drone to try and looked through my trailer. _

 

**_Doesn’t that all come with being an actor?_ **

_ People say this is what I signed up for. That I knew what I was getting myself into, but why is that behavior acceptable? Stalking and ignoring personal space, asking inappropriate questions to get a rise out of people, purposefully trying to get a crude shot for money. _

 

_ I signed up for the weird hours, funny costumes, the interviews, the photographs, and the red carpet. I signed up for the panels and the autographs, everything that has to do with the fans make everything worth it. I’m not naive, I knew there would be paparazzi and craziness. I prepared myself for it. Interviewers don’t stick to script anymore and I am by no means excusing my behavior during the SH interview, that was all me and taking on something when I wasn’t ready. It just seems like everything has gotten out of hand. They took a photo of my living room from over a mile away, how is that okay? _

 

**_Will you be making a public appearance with your family anytime soon?_ **

_ My wife and I want to keep our son out of the public eye as best we can or at least until he is old enough to make the decision for himself.  _

 

**_What about your wife?_ **

_ We haven’t really discussed any public appearance. I will tell you that has been the hardest part of this, not having her with me. Honestly though, she would have stolen the spotlight away from everyone and I would have happily shown her off without any regard for whatever I was supposed to be promoting, so it’s probably for the best… _

 

**_Now everyone is dying to know what she looks like!_ **

_ I don’t think they’ll give you enough room for my answer to that. _

 

**_If we could go back to the fan reaction, twitter has blown up in response-_ ** __

 

Clarke chuckles closing the magazine as the cab rolls to a stop. Gustus is waiting for her on the side walk and they silently make their way to his car where he’ll take her home.  _ Home.  _ Even after over ten years of knowing each other, Lexa still feels like home.

 

\----

 

"I'm surprised they got that published so fast." She says, sliding up next to her wife who is looking down at their sleeping son.

 

"Yeah, well, apparently it's big news so they over-nighted it or something. I really don't know how that works." She feels the shrug and ducks her head to place a kiss on Lexa's shoulder before smiling.

 

“So how would you describe me?”

 

“How long do you have?”

 

“I seem to recall saying til death do us part so...forever?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also this was supposed to- first only be a one shot and then when it wasn't, it was supposed to just be random events...but now it's consecutive and I don't know what I'm doing. Thanks for your continued interest and for giving me more to write! I have some other one shots in the works that I'll post soon! xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this thing on?  
> If you're still with me- sorry about the disappearing act, you can thank those that left comments recently for bringing me back to this fic
> 
> I have more outlined but whether I write it or not will depend on the response of this chapter, so I hope you like it or at least want to see more!

“Remember the first time?” She asks, running her hands up her wifes smooth legs.

 

“How could I forget one of the most painful days of my life?” Lexa jokes, earning a light slap to the shoulder.

 

“Stop exaggerating, you’ve done it consistently ever since.”

 

“Yeah with people who do it right or less painful ways.”

 

“It was my first time!”

 

****

 

“ _ Okay, okay, Clarke, oh my god, okay, just do it, ow, just do it Clarke!” Lexa says breathing heavily through her nose, sprawled out on the kitchen floor. _

 

_ “It’s more complicated than it looks! I didn’t know how hard to pull” She defends, taking the edge of the strip between her fingers again. “Okay, I’ve got this, ready?” _

 

_ “I think I’d rather- ow! Did you rip my skin off with that one?” Lexa practically whimpers, lifting her head off the floor to check the damage and only seeing slightly pink but still very much intact and freshly smoothed skin. _

 

_ “This is oddly satisfying” Clarke hums examining the used wax strip pieces and readying another. “I think I’m supposed to pull it the other way, it’s meant to come off as one piece not rip apart.” _

 

_ “I don’t think I can do this, this was a mistake, Clarke. Let’s just- oh ho ho holy shit” Lexa groans squeezing her eyes shut.  _

 

_ “You can’t stop now and look the whole thing came off.” Clarke says, waving the strip in front of Lexa’s face. _

 

_ “I’m so glad you’re enjoying causing me pain.” Lexa tries to laugh and blink the tears out of her eyes. She breathes deeply to calm herself “Okay, I can do this, just go faster?” _

 

_ ****** _

 

“Even if you did it wrong, I’m glad it was you and not some random person doing it.”

 

“Only so they didn’t see you cry.” Clarke teases and Lexa scoffs

 

“I did not cry, Clarke.”

 

“Yeah, okay.” She says with an eye roll and sits back against the tub.

 

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Lexa asks for what feels like the thousandth time in the last twenty minutes.

 

“We don’t really have much of a choice.” She shrugs.

 

“We always have a choice, we don’t need to do this.”

 

“Everyone already knows and I know how stressful this has been on you.”

 

“This isn’t just about me”

 

“I know”

 

“People would know who you are.”

 

She nods, “I know that too.” 

 

“You could be followed or photographed or questioned or-”

 

“Lexa!” She stands and pulls her wife’s face between her hands making sure their eyes connect. “I know, okay. I understand. I see it happening to you all the time and it won’t be as bad since I’m a nobody and once they realise that, it’ll die down.”  Lexas article for the most part was well received, people offering support and kind words. however, that didn’t outweigh the wave of people who called her whiny and entitled, among other things not meant to be repeated. As much as Lexa says it’s not getting to her, Clarke knows that’s not true and that Lexa cares more about peoples opinions than she lets on. She also knows Lexa is only saying it for her benefit. 

 

“I think you underestimate their persistence” Lexa says and Clarke rests their foreheads together and closes her eyes.

 

“Probably, but I knew this was going to happen. We’ve had longer than we thought we were going to.” Honestly she’s nervous about tonight. She knows what it will mean for her.  She won’t be able to go out with grayson on her own. Everyone who comes to see her at work will know and that could eventually cause problems, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

 

“We can still wait a little longer.” Lexa breathes out and Clarke shakes her head and then adjusts to bring their lips together.

 

“I think you underestimate their persistence.” She mumbles, earning a laugh.

 

“We’re really doing this?”

 

“Unless there’s another reason a whole beauty team is out in our living room right now.”

 

“Well, we did kick them out of the bathroom.” Lexa shrugs. “Thank you for that by the way.”

 

“We both needed a minute.” Clarke says, kissing her one more time before standing and holding out her hand. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, so much.” Lexa says, taking the offered hand to pull herself up. 

 

“Alright, then let’s do this. It’s our first night out together since Grayson and I’ve got a team of professionals waiting to get rid of the frumpled mom look and dress me up real nice.” Clarke claps her hands together and then opens the door. She pauses before shutting it again.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No, I just figured I should pump first instead of ruining a thousand dollar dress with breast milk.”

\-------

 

Nothing could have prepared her for the barrage of lights and noises as soon as the car door opened. All of her senses were heightened and she was trying her best not to squint or grimace everytime a camera flashed in her face. The last thing she needed was for her first public photos to be unflattering- yeah because that’s what’s important. She shook her head slightly, kept up her smile, and let herself be lead down the carpet.

 

She could her question thrown their way and speculations being made as they passed sideline reporters, but they never stopped. When they reached the first marked interview station, Lexa removed the hand from her back, kissed her cheek and told her she’s be back in a minute. Clarke stood back with Gustus and watched her wife shake hands with the interviewers, close enough that she could here the banter exchanged.

 

It started with the go to questions of “who are you wearing” and “How does the nominations feel” then segued into who she brought with her tonight.

 

And of course Lexa’s answer of “My beautiful wife.” opened the flood gates.

 

Clarke doesn’t know a lot about these events, but from what Lexa has told her she knows that each station has a certain set of questions and a set time to get through them. She also knows that this bit of information just crashed the whole system. Yes, celebrity news happens all the time and she doesn’t want to put Lexa higher on the pedestals, but based off the coverage there has been, this is big.

 

The interviewer hesitates as he looks at the teleprompter, no doubt deciding the future of his red carpet career and Clarke might have felt a little bad for doing this, but not really.

 

“You decided to make your first public appearance at the Oscars?” He asks ignoring the pointed look from the camera man.

 

“It has the most reach and more believability than a walk through the park wouldn’t you agree?” Lexa says

 

“I guess so, do you have a statement to give?” 

 

“I have nothing planned, I realize this is not the norm for me, but I am going to enjoy the evening and answer any questions as they come.”

 

“Will your wife be answering questions?” He asks hopefully.

 

“It isn’t customary for guests to be included in these interviews, but if she is comfortable during the floor ones and wants to participate she will, if not we’ll move on.” Lexa says and Clarke smiles at her response, noting the protectiveness and having an out even though they already talked about answering questions honestly earlier.

 

“Would you say that-”

 

“Pardon the interruption, but it’s time to continue down the line” Someone in an official suit interrupts and Lexa nods, says a quick thank you and goodbye before making her way back to Clarke and on to the next station.

 

The next few interviews go similarly, starting off as planned before the professionalism breaks and they ask more personal questions. Lexa gives a few more tidbits about them but it always ends before she can go into detail. Clarke is introduced to a lot of old co-stars and “famous friends” on their way into the theatre and by the time all of the pre-show festivities and interview are over, her face hurts from smiling and she’s wishing she had worn anything but heels on her still slightly swollen feet.

 

The view from their seats is nothing like what it seems like on TV, everything is bigger and fancier and she has to remind herself that it’s okay if she touches things. It’s weird, yes she knows Lexa is “famous” but she’s still the same dorky teen that she fell in love with, so it’s weird seeing her interact with all of the other “famous” people she sees in movies and television shows. Being introduced to them and trying to act normal or even watching some of them fangirl over her with. It’s a bizarre thing to witness. 

 

Everything goes relatively quickly after the opening introduction. Clarke is really into getting her hopes up before they announce the winners and then clapping probably too loudly regardless of the name called. When it’s time for the Best Actress category, Clarke would say she didn’t breath for the whole five minutes up to the announcement, but when Lexa’s, well  _ Alexandria’s,  _ name was read off the card all of that stored up air went towards an excited squeal. Lexa stood, composed as ever, and leant down to kiss her chastely, but Clarke was having none of that and pulled her back down into a searing kiss that will most definitely mortify her later to think about and the audience lets out a few whistles before Lexa is released.

 

“I- wow. This is unbelievable. Thank you to the academy for this incredible recognition. I am so grateful for even having the opportunity to be here. Thank you Harold Kline, for being such an amazing director, for putting this incredible film together and allowing me to be a part of it... Thank you to everyone who saw the production journey through and supported the film when it was in theatres, I would not be able to do what I love without any of you. Most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, Clarke, who sacrificed so much for my dreams and I wouldn’t be standing here without her constant support. I will never be able to thank her enough, but I will do my best to show my appreciation towards her and all of you, by giving you my best and being a part of projects that mean something. It may have my name on it, but this award is for all of you out there that didn't have enough representation in the media, this is the just the beginning of the recognition you all deserve...”    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It can end here or I can continue- continuing would look like Clarke's first time recognized in public, a talk with her mom, an interview with the two of them, some family fluff and some back in time stuff if it's wanted- just let me know xx


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